*1455-56 ''Confession of Faith'' by Patr. Gennadius of Constantinople.

+

*1455-56 ''Confession of Faith'' by Patr. [[Gennadius Scholarius|Gennadius of Constantinople]].

*1456-1587 Byzantine [[w:Pammakaristos Church|Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos]] became the seat of the [[Church of Constantinople|Ecumenical Patriarchate]].

*1456-1587 Byzantine [[w:Pammakaristos Church|Church of Theotokos Pammakaristos]] became the seat of the [[Church of Constantinople|Ecumenical Patriarchate]].

−

*1461 Death of Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow; commemoration of the Apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, [[October 1]].

+

*1461 Death of Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow; commemoration of the Apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, [[October 1]]; the [[w:Empire of Trebizond|Trebizond Empire]], last pocket of the Byzantine Empire, falls to the Ottoman Turks.

*1463 Bosnia becomes province of Ottoman Empire, with an estimated 36,000 families voluntarily accepting Islam, followed by a sustained process of assimilation to Islam.

+

*1463 Greek scholar and pro-unionist [[w:Basilios Bessarion|Basilios Bessarion]], formerly an Orthodox Metropolitan, later becoming a Roman Catholic Cardinal, is given the purely ceremonial title of ''Latin Patriarch of Constantinople'' by Pope Pius II; Bosnia becomes province of Ottoman Empire, with an estimated 36,000 families voluntarily accepting Islam, followed by a sustained process of assimilation to Islam.

*1472 [[w:Ivan III of Russia|Ivan III]] Grand Duke of Moscow marries [[w:Sophia Palaiologina|Sophia Palaiologina]], niece of the last Byzantine emperor [[Constantine XI Palaiologos]], beginning Russia's claims to be the "[[Third Rome]]"; through [[w:Sophia Palaiologina|Sophia Palaiologina's]] influence the ceremonious etiquette of Constantinople along with the imperial [[Double-headed eagle]] and all that it implied was adopted by the court of Moscow.

*1472 [[w:Ivan III of Russia|Ivan III]] Grand Duke of Moscow marries [[w:Sophia Palaiologina|Sophia Palaiologina]], niece of the last Byzantine emperor [[Constantine XI Palaiologos]], beginning Russia's claims to be the "[[Third Rome]]"; through [[w:Sophia Palaiologina|Sophia Palaiologina's]] influence the ceremonious etiquette of Constantinople along with the imperial [[Double-headed eagle]] and all that it implied was adopted by the court of Moscow.

*1478 [[w:Spanish Inquisition|Spanish Inquisition]].

*1478 [[w:Spanish Inquisition|Spanish Inquisition]].

−

*1480 Meeting of the [[Theotokos of Vladimir]] icon in memory of saving Moscow from the invasion of Khan Ahmed.

+

*1480 Meeting of the [[Theotokos of Vladimir]] icon in memory of saving Moscow from the invasion of Khan Ahmed.

+

*1484 [[Council of Constantinople (1484)|Synod of Constantinople]] with all four Patriarchs in attendance, calling itself "ecumenical", officially repudiated the union of the Greek and Latin churches discussed at Florence in 1439, and determined that Latin converts to Orthodoxy should be received into the Church by Chrismation.

+

*1486 Emergence of the philosophy of [[w:Christian humanism|Christian Humanism]] in the Renaissance, as Giovanni Pico della Mirandola writes his ''[[w:Oration on the Dignity of Man|Oration on the Dignity of Man]]'', which stressed that Men had the free will to travel up and down a moral scale, with God and angels being at the top, and Satan being at the bottom.

*1492 Millennialist movements in Moscow, due to end of church calendar (year 7,000, according to the [[Byzantine Creation Era|Byzantine Date of Creation]]).

*1492 Millennialist movements in Moscow, due to end of church calendar (year 7,000, according to the [[Byzantine Creation Era|Byzantine Date of Creation]]).

*1497 Martyrdom of Macarius, Metropolitan of Kiev, by invading Tatars.

*1497 Martyrdom of Macarius, Metropolitan of Kiev, by invading Tatars.

+

*ca.1500-1505 the [[w:Eton Choirbook|Eton Choirbook]] is compiled, showing the development of early Renaissance polyphony in England, and being one of the very few collections of Latin liturgical music to survive the Reformation.

*1510 Russian monk [[w:Philotheus of Pskov|Philotheus of Pskov]] proclaims in a panegyric letter to the Grand Prince of Moscow that ''"Two Romes have fallen, The third stands, And there will be no fourth,"'', identifying the [[Third Rome]] with Russia.

*1510 Russian monk [[w:Philotheus of Pskov|Philotheus of Pskov]] proclaims in a panegyric letter to the Grand Prince of Moscow that ''"Two Romes have fallen, The third stands, And there will be no fourth,"'', identifying the [[Third Rome]] with Russia.

*1512 First Christian church erected in Americas in [[w:Santo Domingo|Santo Domingo]] by Spanish.

*1512 First Christian church erected in Americas in [[w:Santo Domingo|Santo Domingo]] by Spanish.

*1545-63 [[w:Council of Trent|Council of Trent]] held to answer the Protestant Reformation.

*1545-63 [[w:Council of Trent|Council of Trent]] held to answer the Protestant Reformation.

−

*1551 [[Council of the Hundred Chapters]] in Russia.

+

*1551 [[Stoglavy Sobor|Council of the Hundred Chapters]] in Russia.

*1555 Abp. Gurian begins mission to Kazan.

*1555 Abp. Gurian begins mission to Kazan.

*1557 Death of [[Basil the Blessed]].

*1557 Death of [[Basil the Blessed]].

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*1564 Jesuits arrive in Poland.

*1564 Jesuits arrive in Poland.

*1568 Pope Pius V recognizes four Great [[w:Doctor of the Church|Doctors]] of the Eastern Church, [[John Chrysostom]], [[Basil the Great]], [[Gregory the Theologian|Gregory of Nazianzus]], and [[Athanasius of Alexandria|Athanasius]].

*1568 Pope Pius V recognizes four Great [[w:Doctor of the Church|Doctors]] of the Eastern Church, [[John Chrysostom]], [[Basil the Great]], [[Gregory the Theologian|Gregory of Nazianzus]], and [[Athanasius of Alexandria|Athanasius]].

−

*1569 Martyrdom of [[Philip of Moscow]], at the hands of Ivan IV Grozny.

+

*1569 Martyrdom of [[Philip II of Moscow|Philip of Moscow]], at the hands of Ivan IV Grozny.

*1569 [[w:Union of Lublin|Union of Lublin]] unites Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania into a single state, the [[w:Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]], placing the [[w:Ruthenians|Ruthenian]] Orthodox lands of Belarus, and modern Ukraine under direct Roman Catholic rule.

*1569 [[w:Union of Lublin|Union of Lublin]] unites Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania into a single state, the [[w:Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]], placing the [[w:Ruthenians|Ruthenian]] Orthodox lands of Belarus, and modern Ukraine under direct Roman Catholic rule.

−

*1571 Restoration of [[Church of Cyprus]] to Orthodox rule.

+

*1571 Restoration of [[Church of Cyprus]] to Orthodox rule, as Cyprus is conquered by the Ottoman Empire; Ottomans are defeated at the [[w:Battle of Lepanto (1571)|Battle of Lepanto]], preventing them from advancing further into Europe.

*1573 [[w:Pope Gregory XIII|Pope Gregory XIII]] establishes Congregation for the Greeks, a committee of cardinals who addressed issues relating to the Greeks in southern Italy and Sicily in the hope of resolving tensions between Greeks and Latins.

*1573 [[w:Pope Gregory XIII|Pope Gregory XIII]] establishes Congregation for the Greeks, a committee of cardinals who addressed issues relating to the Greeks in southern Italy and Sicily in the hope of resolving tensions between Greeks and Latins.

*1575 [[Church of Constantinople]] grants [[autonomy]] to [[Church of Sinai]].

*1575 [[Church of Constantinople]] grants [[autonomy]] to [[Church of Sinai]].

*1576 [[w:Pope Gregory XIII|Pope Gregory XIII]] establishes Pontifical Greek College of St. Athanasius (popularly known as the 'Greek College') in Rome, which he charged with educating Italo-Byzantine clerics.

*1576 [[w:Pope Gregory XIII|Pope Gregory XIII]] establishes Pontifical Greek College of St. Athanasius (popularly known as the 'Greek College') in Rome, which he charged with educating Italo-Byzantine clerics.

−

*1579 Death of [[Gerasimus of Kefalonia]]; discovery of [[Our Lady of Kazan]], holiest Russian icon.

+

*1579 Death of [[Gerasimos of Cephalonia|Gerasimus]] the New, ascetic of Cephalonia; discovery of [[Our Lady of Kazan]], holiest Russian icon; on [[Holy Saturday]] at the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem)|Church of the Holy Sepulchre]] the Armenian patriarch prayed day and night in order to obtain the [[Holy Fire]], but the Fire miraculously struck a column near the entrance of the church, and lit a candle held by the Orthodox patriarch standing nearby.

*1582 Institution of the [[Gregorian Calendar]] by Pope Gregory XIII; death of [[w:Teresa of Ávila|Teresa of Ávila]], prominent Spanish mystic.

*1582 Institution of the [[Gregorian Calendar]] by Pope Gregory XIII; death of [[w:Teresa of Ávila|Teresa of Ávila]], prominent Spanish mystic.

*1583 [[Sigillion of 1583]] issued against [[Gregorian Calendar]] by council convened in Constantinople.

*1583 [[Sigillion of 1583]] issued against [[Gregorian Calendar]] by council convened in Constantinople.

*1587-Present. The relatively modest [[w:Church of St. George, Istanbul|Church of St George]] in the Phanar district of Istanbul becomes the seat of the [[Church of Constantinople|Ecumenical Patriarchate]].

*1587-Present. The relatively modest [[w:Church of St. George, Istanbul|Church of St George]] in the Phanar district of Istanbul becomes the seat of the [[Church of Constantinople|Ecumenical Patriarchate]].

−

*1589 [[Autocephaly]] and [[canonical territory]] of [[Church of Russia]] recognized, as Patr. Jeremias II of Constantinople raises Metr. Job of Moscow to the rank of [[Patriarch]] of Moscow and of All Russia.

+

*1589 [[Autocephaly]] and [[canonical territory]] of [[Church of Russia]] recognized, as Patr. [[Jeremias II (Tranos) of Constantinople|Jeremias II of Constantinople]] raises Metr. [[Job of Moscow]] to the rank of [[Patriarch]] of Moscow and of All Russia.

+

*1593 [[Council of Constantinople (1593)|Council of Constantinople]] held, where the patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem confirmed the appointment of Patr. [[Job of Moscow]] and the erection of the Russian patriarchate, placing it fifth in the hierarchy of patriarchates.

*1596 [[Union of Brest-Litovsk]], several million Ukrainian and Byelorussian Orthodox Christians, living under Polish rule, leave the [[Church of Constantinople]] and recognize the Pope of Rome, without giving up their Byzantine liturgy and customs, creating the [[Uniate]] church.

*1596 [[Union of Brest-Litovsk]], several million Ukrainian and Byelorussian Orthodox Christians, living under Polish rule, leave the [[Church of Constantinople]] and recognize the Pope of Rome, without giving up their Byzantine liturgy and customs, creating the [[Uniate]] church.

*1611 [[w:Authorized King James Version|Authorized King James Version]] of the Bible printed; [[w:Gallicanism|Gallican]] French theologian Edmund Richer (1559-1631) held the view that [[w:Conciliarism|ecclesiastical councils]], not the papacy, was the method by which doctrinal truth was established, but his work was censured at the Council of Aix-en-Provence in 1612.

*1611 [[w:Authorized King James Version|Authorized King James Version]] of the Bible printed; [[w:Gallicanism|Gallican]] French theologian Edmund Richer (1559-1631) held the view that [[w:Conciliarism|ecclesiastical councils]], not the papacy, was the method by which doctrinal truth was established, but his work was censured at the Council of Aix-en-Provence in 1612.

*1620 [[Council of Moscow (1620)|Council of Moscow]] presided over by Patr. [[Philaret (Romanov) of Moscow|Philaret of Moscow]] insisted that only Orthodox [[Baptism]] by triple immersion was valid, and that all (Latin) converts had to be rebaptized.

*1646 [[w:Union of Uzhhorod|Union of Uzhhorod]] joins 63 Ruthenian Orthodox priests from the Carpathian Mountains to Roman Catholic Church on terms similar to [[Union of Brest]].

*1646 [[w:Union of Uzhhorod|Union of Uzhhorod]] joins 63 Ruthenian Orthodox priests from the Carpathian Mountains to Roman Catholic Church on terms similar to [[Union of Brest]].

*1647 Orthodox church erected in Tunisia.

*1647 Orthodox church erected in Tunisia.

−

*1649 Martyrdom of [[Athanasius of Brest-Litovsk]] by the Latins.

+

*1649 Martyrdom of [[Athanasius of Bretsk|Athanasius of Brest-Litovsk]] by the Latins.

*1650-1700 Ottoman [[w:Istanbul|Constantinople]] is [[w:List of largest cities throughout history|largest city in the world]] by population.

*1650-1700 Ottoman [[w:Istanbul|Constantinople]] is [[w:List of largest cities throughout history|largest city in the world]] by population.

*1652 School and hospital established in Old Cairo by Patr. Joannikios.

*1652 School and hospital established in Old Cairo by Patr. Joannikios.

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*1656 [[Voskresensky Monastery]] founded by Patr. [[Nikon of Moscow|Nikon]] at Istra near Moscow, intended to represent the Heavenly Jerusalem.

*1656 [[Voskresensky Monastery]] founded by Patr. [[Nikon of Moscow|Nikon]] at Istra near Moscow, intended to represent the Heavenly Jerusalem.

*1665 Greek Jewish kabbalist [[w:Sabbatai Zevi|Sabbatai Sevi]] hailed by Jews of Palestine as the [[Jesus Christ|Messiah]], but then converts to Islam before the Ottoman Sultan to save his life.

*1665 Greek Jewish kabbalist [[w:Sabbatai Zevi|Sabbatai Sevi]] hailed by Jews of Palestine as the [[Jesus Christ|Messiah]], but then converts to Islam before the Ottoman Sultan to save his life.

−

*1667 Annexation of most of [[Kievan Rus']] by Tsar of Muscovite Kingdom.

+

*1666-1667 [[Moscow Sobor of 1666–1667|Council of Moscow]].

+

*1667 Annexation of most of [[Christianization of Kievan Rus'|Kievan Rus']] by Tsar of Muscovite Kingdom.

*1669 Greek island of Crete taken by Ottoman Empire from Venetians.

*1669 Greek island of Crete taken by Ottoman Empire from Venetians.

−

*1672 [[w:Synod of Jerusalem|Synod of Jerusalem]] convened by Patr. [[Dositheos II of Jerusalem|Dositheos Notaras]], refuting article by article the Calvinistic confession of [[Cyril Lucaris]], defining Orthodoxy relative to Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, and defining the Orthodox Biblical canon; acts of this council are later signed by all five patriarchates (including Russia).

+

*1672 [[w:Synod of Jerusalem|Synod of Jerusalem]] convened by Patr. [[Dositheus II Notarius of Jerusalem|Dositheos Notaras]], refuting article by article the Calvinistic confession of [[Cyril Lucaris]], defining Orthodoxy relative to Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, and defining the Orthodox Biblical canon; acts of this council are later signed by all five patriarchates (including Russia).

*1675 Appearance of icon of [[Theotokos of Pochaiv]].

*1675 Appearance of icon of [[Theotokos of Pochaiv]].

*1682 The ''Sabaite [[Typikon]]'' was published in its final form in Russia; from 1682 to 1888 the Greek and Russian Churches shared this common [[Typikon]].

*1682 The ''Sabaite [[Typikon]]'' was published in its final form in Russia; from 1682 to 1888 the Greek and Russian Churches shared this common [[Typikon]].

*1683 Second Ottoman [[w:Battle of Vienna|Siege of Vienna]], capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

*1683 Second Ottoman [[w:Battle of Vienna|Siege of Vienna]], capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

*1685 Orthodoxy introduced in Beijing by [[Church of Russia]].

*1685 Orthodoxy introduced in Beijing by [[Church of Russia]].

+

*1686 The Ottomans, acting on the behalf of the regent of Russia [[w:Tsarevna Sophia Alekseyevna of Russia|Sophia Alekseyevna]], pressured the Patr. of Constantinople into transferring the [[Church of Ukraine|Orthodox Church of Kiev and all Rus']] (Church of Ukraine) from the jurisdiction of [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]] to the Patr. of [[Church of Russia|Moscow]], established a century prior to that.

*1688 Appearance of [[Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow|Joy of All Who Sorrow]] icon.

*1688 Appearance of [[Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow|Joy of All Who Sorrow]] icon.

*1700-02 Submission of the dioceses of Lemberg (Lviv) and Luzk (Lutsk) in the [[w:Galicia (Central Europe)|Galician]] area of Ukraine to Roman Catholic Church completes [[Union of Brest-Litovsk]], so that two-thirds of the Orthodox in western Ukraine had become Greek Catholic.

*1700-02 Submission of the dioceses of Lemberg (Lviv) and Luzk (Lutsk) in the [[w:Galicia (Central Europe)|Galician]] area of Ukraine to Roman Catholic Church completes [[Union of Brest-Litovsk]], so that two-thirds of the Orthodox in western Ukraine had become Greek Catholic.

*1707-20 Grabbe's edition of the [[Septuagint]] published at Oxford, reproducing (imperfectly) the ''Codex Alexandrinus'' of London.

*1707-20 Grabbe's edition of the [[Septuagint]] published at Oxford, reproducing (imperfectly) the ''Codex Alexandrinus'' of London.

+

*1709 Death of [[w:Dimitri of Rostov|Dimitri of Rostov]].

+

*1710 Spectacular miracle occurred at the [[Grabarka|Holy Mount of Grabarka]], the holiest location in Poland for Orthodox Christians, where a deadly outbreak of cholera in the region ended almost instantly.

*1715 Metr. [[Arsenios of Thebaid]] sent to England by Pope [[Samuel of Alexandria]] to negotiate with [[Non-Jurors|Non-Juror]] Anglican bishops.

*1715 Metr. [[Arsenios of Thebaid]] sent to England by Pope [[Samuel of Alexandria]] to negotiate with [[Non-Jurors|Non-Juror]] Anglican bishops.

*1723 Schism in the [[Roman Catholic Church]], as the [[w:Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands|Church of Holland]], (or [[w:Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands|Church of Utrecht]]) broke with Rome under its own archbishop and hierarchy, becoming the mother church of the [[w:Old Catholic Church|Old Catholic Churches]].

*1723 Schism in the [[Roman Catholic Church]], as the [[w:Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands|Church of Holland]], (or [[w:Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands|Church of Utrecht]]) broke with Rome under its own archbishop and hierarchy, becoming the mother church of the [[w:Old Catholic Church|Old Catholic Churches]].

−

*1724 [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Melkite]] schism, in which many faithful from the [[Church of Antioch]] become [[Uniate]]s.

+

*1724 [[Melkite]] schism, in which many faithful from the [[Church of Antioch]] become [[Uniate]]s.

*1741 Synodal reform initiated, when Metr. Gerasimos of Heraclia obtains a [[Firman]] (decree) from Ottoman officials, regulating and subordinating the election of the Patriarch of Constantinople to the five Metropolitans of Heraclia, Kyzikos, Nicomedia, Nicaea, and Chalcedon, creating the so-called ''System of the Elders'' (''Γεροντισμος''), established gradually, in place until the late 19th century.

*1754 [[Hesychasm|Hesychast]] Renaissance begins with the [[Kollyvades Movement]]; discovery of the holy [[relics]] of the Four [[Martyr]]s of [[w:Megara|Megara]]: Polyeuctos, George, Adrianos and Platon, the "Newly-Revealed".

−

*1756 ''[[Sigillion of 1756]]'' issued against the [[Gregorian Calendar]] by Patr. [[Cyril V of Constantinople]].

*1756 ''[[Sigillion of 1756]]'' issued against the [[Gregorian Calendar]] by Patr. [[Cyril V of Constantinople]];

+

*1756 After Tsar Peter the Great had ordered in 1712 the printed Slavonic text of the Bible to be carefully compared with the Greek of the Septuagint and to be made in every respect conformable to it, the second edition of the Queen "Elizabeth" [[w:Slavic translations of the Bible|Slavonic Bible]] (QEB), ([[Septuagint|LXX]]) is issued in 1756; all later reprints of the Russian Church Bible are based upon this second edition, which is the authorized version of the [[Church of Russia|Russian Orthodox Church]].

*1760 [[Holy Trinity St. Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent]] founded in Russia.

*1760 [[Holy Trinity St. Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent]] founded in Russia.

*1763 The [[w:Jansenism|Jansenist]] Provincial Council of Utrecht, seed of the future [[w:Old Catholic Church|Old Catholic]] movements, affirmed every Roman Catholic dogma and pronounced the Orthodox Faith to be schismatic and false, signalling not so much a rapprochement with Orthodoxy, but rather a refusal to drift yet further from her, as much of the Roman fold was doing.

*1763 The [[w:Jansenism|Jansenist]] Provincial Council of Utrecht, seed of the future [[w:Old Catholic Church|Old Catholic]] movements, affirmed every Roman Catholic dogma and pronounced the Orthodox Faith to be schismatic and false, signalling not so much a rapprochement with Orthodoxy, but rather a refusal to drift yet further from her, as much of the Roman fold was doing.

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*1779 Death of [[Kosmas Aitolos]].

*1779 Death of [[Kosmas Aitolos]].

*1782 First publication of ''[[Philokalia]]''; [[autonomy]] of [[Church of Sinai]] confirmed by [[Church of Constantinople]].

*1782 First publication of ''[[Philokalia]]''; [[autonomy]] of [[Church of Sinai]] confirmed by [[Church of Constantinople]].

+

*1789 The [[w:French Revolution|French Revolution]] of 1789 catapulted [[w:History of atheism|atheistic thought]] into political notability, and opened the way for the 19th century movements of [[w:Rationalism|Rationalism]], [[w:Freethought|Freethought]], and [[w:Liberalism|Liberalism]] in the West.

*1793-95 Over 2,300 Uniate churches became Orthodox under Tsarina Catherine the Great.

*1793-95 Over 2,300 Uniate churches became Orthodox under Tsarina Catherine the Great.

*1794 Missionaries, including [[Herman of Alaska]], arrive at Kodiak Island, bringing Orthodoxy to Russian Alaska; death of [[Paisius Velichkovsky]] of Moldova and Mt. Athos.

*1794 Missionaries, including [[Herman of Alaska]], arrive at Kodiak Island, bringing Orthodoxy to Russian Alaska; death of [[Paisius Velichkovsky]] of Moldova and Mt. Athos.

*1796 [[Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain|Nicodemus the Hagiorite]] publishes ''[[Unseen Warfare]]'' in Venice.

*1796 [[Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain|Nicodemus the Hagiorite]] publishes ''[[Unseen Warfare]]'' in Venice.

−

*1798 Patriarch [[Anthimios of Jerusalem]] contended that the [[w:Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire]] was part of the [[w:Divine Providence|Divine Dispensation]] granted by [[God]] to protect [[Orthodoxy]] from the taint of [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] and of Western [[w:Secularism|secularism]] and [[w:Irreligion by country|irreligion]].

+

*1798 Patriarch [[Anthimus of Jerusalem]] contended that the [[w:Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire]] was part of the [[w:Divine Providence|Divine Dispensation]] granted by [[God]] to protect [[Orthodoxy]] from the taint of [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] and of Western [[w:Secularism|secularism]] and [[w:Irreligion by country|irreligion]].

* Pelikan, Jaroslav. ''The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 4: Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300-1700)''. (ISBN 0226653773)

* Pelikan, Jaroslav. ''The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 4: Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300-1700)''. (ISBN 0226653773)

* Pelikan, Jaroslav. ''The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 5: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (since 1700)''. (ISBN 0226653803)

* Pelikan, Jaroslav. ''The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 5: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (since 1700)''. (ISBN 0226653803)

+

* Peri, Oded (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem). ''Islamic Law and Christian Holy Sites: Jerusalem and Its Vicinity in Early Ottoman Times.'' '''Islamic Law and Society'''. Vol.6, No.1. 1999. pp.97-111.

The History of the Church is a vital part of the Orthodox Christian faith. Orthodox Christians are defined significantly by their continuity with all those who have gone before, those who first received and preached the truth of Jesus Christ to the world, those who helped to formulate the expression and worship of our faith, and those who continue to move forward in the unchanging yet ever-dynamic Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church.

1461 Death of Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow; commemoration of the Apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, October 1; the Trebizond Empire, last pocket of the Byzantine Empire, falls to the Ottoman Turks.

1463 Greek scholar and pro-unionist Basilios Bessarion, formerly an Orthodox Metropolitan, later becoming a Roman Catholic Cardinal, is given the purely ceremonial title of Latin Patriarch of Constantinople by Pope Pius II; Bosnia becomes province of Ottoman Empire, with an estimated 36,000 families voluntarily accepting Islam, followed by a sustained process of assimilation to Islam.

1480 Meeting of the Theotokos of Vladimir icon in memory of saving Moscow from the invasion of Khan Ahmed.

1484 Synod of Constantinople with all four Patriarchs in attendance, calling itself "ecumenical", officially repudiated the union of the Greek and Latin churches discussed at Florence in 1439, and determined that Latin converts to Orthodoxy should be received into the Church by Chrismation.

1486 Emergence of the philosophy of Christian Humanism in the Renaissance, as Giovanni Pico della Mirandola writes his Oration on the Dignity of Man, which stressed that Men had the free will to travel up and down a moral scale, with God and angels being at the top, and Satan being at the bottom.

ca.1500-1505 the Eton Choirbook is compiled, showing the development of early Renaissance polyphony in England, and being one of the very few collections of Latin liturgical music to survive the Reformation.

1510 Russian monk Philotheus of Pskov proclaims in a panegyric letter to the Grand Prince of Moscow that "Two Romes have fallen, The third stands, And there will be no fourth,", identifying the Third Rome with Russia.

1512 First Christian church erected in Americas in Santo Domingo by Spanish.

1516 Desiderius Erasmus publishes "Textus Receptus" of New Testament on the basis of six late manuscripts of the Byzantine text-type.

1537-41 Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilds the city walls of Jerusalem (the current walls of the Old City of Jerusalem), including sealing off the Golden Gate in 1541 to prevent the Messiah's entrance.

1540 Death of Emperor Lebna Dengel of Ethiopia; formal founding of Jesuits.

1571 Restoration of Church of Cyprus to Orthodox rule, as Cyprus is conquered by the Ottoman Empire; Ottomans are defeated at the Battle of Lepanto, preventing them from advancing further into Europe.

1573 Pope Gregory XIII establishes Congregation for the Greeks, a committee of cardinals who addressed issues relating to the Greeks in southern Italy and Sicily in the hope of resolving tensions between Greeks and Latins.

1576 Pope Gregory XIII establishes Pontifical Greek College of St. Athanasius (popularly known as the 'Greek College') in Rome, which he charged with educating Italo-Byzantine clerics.

1579 Death of Gerasimus the New, ascetic of Cephalonia; discovery of Our Lady of Kazan, holiest Russian icon; on Holy Saturday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the Armenian patriarch prayed day and night in order to obtain the Holy Fire, but the Fire miraculously struck a column near the entrance of the church, and lit a candle held by the Orthodox patriarch standing nearby.

1593 Council of Constantinople held, where the patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem confirmed the appointment of Patr. Job of Moscow and the erection of the Russian patriarchate, placing it fifth in the hierarchy of patriarchates.

1596 Union of Brest-Litovsk, several million Ukrainian and Byelorussian Orthodox Christians, living under Polish rule, leave the Church of Constantinople and recognize the Pope of Rome, without giving up their Byzantine liturgy and customs, creating the Uniate church.

1652 School and hospital established in Old Cairo by Patr. Joannikios.

1652-1658 Patriarch Nikon of Moscow revises liturgical books to bring them into conformity with the Greek liturgical customs, leading to mass excommunication and schism of dissenters, who become known as Old Believers.

1672 Synod of Jerusalem convened by Patr. Dositheos Notaras, refuting article by article the Calvinistic confession of Cyril Lucaris, defining Orthodoxy relative to Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, and defining the Orthodox Biblical canon; acts of this council are later signed by all five patriarchates (including Russia).

1689 Great Serb Migrations of hundreds of thousands of Serbian refugees from Kosovo and Serbia proper, leaving a vacuum filled by flood of Albanian immigrants.

1698 Consecration of the first Orthodox Church in China, in the name of Sophia (Divine Wisdom), when Emperor Kangxi ordered a Buddhist temple to be cleared for Russian inhabitants in Beijing.

1700 The Creation Era calendar in Russia, in use since AD 988 was changed to the Julian Calendar by Peter the Great; Peter the Great published an Ukase on June 18th that made a resounding appeal for the propagation of the faith in Siberia and China.

1700-02 Submission of the dioceses of Lemberg (Lviv) and Luzk (Lutsk) in the Galician area of Ukraine to Roman Catholic Church completes Union of Brest-Litovsk, so that two-thirds of the Orthodox in western Ukraine had become Greek Catholic.

1707-20 Grabbe's edition of the Septuagint published at Oxford, reproducing (imperfectly) the Codex Alexandrinus of London.

1741 Synodal reform initiated, when Metr. Gerasimos of Heraclia obtains a Firman (decree) from Ottoman officials, regulating and subordinating the election of the Patriarch of Constantinople to the five Metropolitans of Heraclia, Kyzikos, Nicomedia, Nicaea, and Chalcedon, creating the so-called System of the Elders (Γεροντισμος), established gradually, in place until the late 19th century.

1756 After Tsar Peter the Great had ordered in 1712 the printed Slavonic text of the Bible to be carefully compared with the Greek of the Septuagint and to be made in every respect conformable to it, the second edition of the Queen "Elizabeth" Slavonic Bible (QEB), (LXX) is issued in 1756; all later reprints of the Russian Church Bible are based upon this second edition, which is the authorized version of the Russian Orthodox Church.

1763 The Jansenist Provincial Council of Utrecht, seed of the future Old Catholic movements, affirmed every Roman Catholic dogma and pronounced the Orthodox Faith to be schismatic and false, signalling not so much a rapprochement with Orthodoxy, but rather a refusal to drift yet further from her, as much of the Roman fold was doing.

1767 Community of Orthodox Greeks establishes itself in New Smyrna, Florida; Ottoman Empire legally divides Church of the Holy Sepulchre among claimants.

Notes

Some of these dates are necessarily a bit vague, as records for some periods are particularly difficult to piece together accurately.

The division of Church History into separate eras as done here will always be to some extent arbitrary, though it was attempted to group periods according to major watershed events.

This timeline is necessarily biased toward the history of the Orthodox Church, though a number of non-Orthodox or purely political events are mentioned for their importance in history related to Orthodoxy or for reference.